Gun club allowed booth at Saturday's festival

EXETER — The Exeter Sportsman's Club will have a booth at Saturday's American Independence Festival after all.

Comment

By Jason Schreiber

seacoastonline.com

By Jason Schreiber

Posted Jul. 11, 2014 at 2:00 AM

By Jason Schreiber

Posted Jul. 11, 2014 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

EXETER — The Exeter Sportsman's Club will have a booth at Saturday's American Independence Festival after all.

After reaching out to the club members Tuesday, Julie Williams, executive director of the American Independence Museum, said they will be allowed to have a booth at the event.

"We are just looking forward to focusing on the event and all the hard work of the many volunteers who have done so much to make this day spectacular," Williams said.

Event organizers came under fire after changing the rules for this year's festival.

According to Stratham resident Tim Copeland, vice president of the sportsman's club, the nonprofit group has hosted a booth at the festival for many years, but didn't receive an application in the mail to pre-register for this year's festival.

When one of the members called the museum to inquire about the festival, Copeland said the club was told that the criteria had changed for vendors and that the club didn't fit in with the theme.

In an interview Monday, Williams said organizers of the festival wanted to focus more on vendor booths for a "crafts marketplace" from the Revolutionary Period.

The sportsman's club has used the festival as an opportunity to attract new members and educate the public about the Second Amendment.

In response to Copeland's criticisms of the rule change in a story in Tuesday's Exeter News-Letter, Williams contacted the club and said members will be able to have their booth, but she asked them to consider finding a way to keep with the theme of the festival.

Copeland said members have decided to include costumes from the Revolutionary Period and muskets as part of their display.

"The Exeter Sportsman's Club is appreciative of the fact that they've reversed themselves and are allowing us to participate in an annual event that we've participated in for years," he said.

Festival organizers had also decided not to allow political groups to have booths like they have in the past, but changed their minds in early June after groups complained about their decision. Political organizations and candidates will now be allowed, but have been moved to a new spot on Water Street in front of People's United Bank in what's been described as a "political marketplace."